The book, The Month of St. Joseph, presents daily considerations for the month of March in the form of meditations and practical examples. The example for today is as follows.

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EXAMPLE

Many are the instances of St. Joseph’s solicitude to aid and console his devout clients at the hour of death, sometimes even visibly and accompanied by the most holy Virgin. The following incident is an illustration of this truth.

In the Novitiate of the Society of Jesus at Chieri, there was a lay-brother named Dominic Jemi, who was dying of consumption. He was a Religious of extraordinary virtue and remarkable for his obedience, humility, union with God, and his special devotion to St. Joseph. During his illness he was most patient and resigned, and he bore his sufferings with a cheerfulness which edified all who saw him. As the hour of death drew nigh, the cell of this good Religious seemed changed into a little paradise, so perpetually was he occupied in expressing the most ardent affections of his heart, sometimes to Jesus crucified, or to the Sacred Heart, the Blessed Virgin, and to His special patron, St. Joseph. The night preceding his death it seemed that the Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph appeared to him; making an effort beyond his strength he endeavored to raise his hands and bow his head towards the spot where he saw them, exclaiming repeatedly, in transports of joy: “Brethren, do you see the Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph? Let us kneel down to honor and invoke them.” After praying with much fervor for himself, for those around him, and for the absent, he calmly expired.

This happy death, at which Mary and her glorious Spouse St. Joseph assisted, occurred on the 10th of December, 1828.

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This anecdote comes from the Month of St. Joseph by Abbé Berlioux, originally published in English in the year 1887. This book contains meditations and an example story for each day of the month. In an effort to preserve short inspiring stories from our Catholic past, every day for the month of March you can find the example story for the day published on the website under people/stories.

The same author also published similar books for the months of, May (Our Lady), June (Sacred Heart), and November (Holy Souls). We are planning to post the stories for these months in the future and are working with Mediatrix Press to re-publish these as a four book collection, so be sure to check back. The Month of St. Joseph is available now.